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transporting thought! thrice happy prospect: most glorious period! Who shall describe the triumph of that hour? Who can conceive the grandeur of that scene?-A universe of voices; a choir of worlds; the music of eternity; all creatures worshipping; all creation praising; Jesus acknowledged as "God over all, and blessed for ever."

In preparation for this glorious consummation, the Divine Spirit here calls on "all God's works, in all places of His dominion, to bless His name." What though discordant sounds grate upon our ear during the period of this Tuning time,—the instruments will soon be perfected, and then what a burst of harmony will break upon us in Eternity! Angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, all the hosts and servants of the Lord, all the members of His redeemed family, and "all His works in all places of His dominion," will join in one melodious choir to sing the song of universal gratitude and praise. Hymns of Creation and of Redemption will be sung responsive; and the voices of the created will chant "Amen" to the symphonies of the redeemed. The SERAPHIM, as representatives of the angels, will be heard worshipping the Trinity in Unity as they cry one to another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts-the whole earth is full of His glory." Isa. vi. 3. The four LIVING CREATURES, as representatives of the Church, will never rest, day nor night, worshipping the Unity in Trinity, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." The four-and-twenty ELDERS, on behalf of the redeemed, will not be slow to raise the praises

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of the Creator: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev. iv. Then “the voice of HARPERS" will be heard "harping with their harps, before the throne, that new song" of Redemption, which no man can learn, but the hundred and forty and four thousand which are redeemed from the earth. Rev. xiv. 'And, lo, a GREAT MULTITUDE, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, standing before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," will cry “with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." To this grateful song of the redeemed, the angels will immediately and joyfully respond “Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Rev. vii. Again the high praises of the Redeemer will be raised by those who "have every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors;" falling down "before the Lamb," they will sing this

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new song," "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation: and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." In full harmony with this song of the redeemed, and in direct adoration of the Redeemer, the "innumerable company" of the ANGELS, "the number of whom is ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands," will be

heard praising him, and saying, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." Then, like the mighty sound of many waters, the light voices of all the created, and of all the redeemed-"all His works, in all places of His dominion"-" EVERY CREATURE WHICH IS IN

HEAVEN, AND ON THE EARTH, AND SUCH AS ARE IN THE SEA,

AND ALL THAT ARE IN THEM," will be heard "blessing God" in this harmonious, universal, and everlasting song of gratitude and praise,-" BLESSING, AND HONOR, AND GLORY, AND POWER BE UNTO HIM THAT SITTETH UPON THE THRONE, and UNTO THE LAMB FOR EVER AND EVER. Rev, V,

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XX.

Call to Universal Gratitude.

THE PSALMIST'S OWN SOUL.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.-Verse 22.

HAVING addressed the whole universe of intelligent beings, animated creatures and inanimate things, the Son of Jesse sums up his addresses and his Psalm together, by calling upon his own soul to unite with them in the glorious work of praise. He would not suffer it to come behind even the angels in blessing God. He knows how good the Lord is. He had long and largely experienced the freeness of His forgiveness, the fulness of His forbearance, the richness of His benefits, and the tenderness of His love. "All that was within him" glowed, under the Divine Spirit, with intense gratitude to his Redeemer. Not more ardently, therefore, did he long to hear the praises of his Divine Benefactor sung by the entire creation, than he desired that he himself should bear a high and holy part in the universal and everlasting song.

The Royal Psalmist commenced this beautiful hymn of gratitude with a special address to his own soul, and now he closes it with a similar self application. In the course of it

he had called on others to bless the Lord, and here, with redoubled earnestness, he calls upon himself. He had made it his first duty, and now he makes it his last, to bless his Creator and his Redeemer.

It is this heart application that we need in all our readings of Scripture, in all our hearings of sermons, and in all our experiences of God's goodness. The doctrines we learn must all be reduced to practice. The instructions we give to others must all be laid also upon ourselves. The mercies we receive must all be specially acknowledged. The truths of the Bible and the blessings of Providence should not be entertained as mere external verities; they should come home to the heart-they should be real, living, abiding sources of thought and feeling, and motives of action. Here is a pattern in David. These concluding words bear the stamp of reality upon them. The Psalmist was in deep earnest; and without earnest heart application there can be no true religion. Every one must be made to feel that it is with his own soul that he has to do. Angels may be praising God in heaven; the question for us is this—“ Are we praising God on the earth?" All His works may be fulfilling His will; the consideration for me is—“ Am I similarly serving my Redeemer ?" My fellow men may, some of them, be loving Jesus, and others of them loving the world: their love to Him will not save me,-their rejection of Him will not ruin me. My own soul is to be the grand object of my solicitude. Others are better than I am; their goodness will not make up for my deficiency. Others may be worse than myself; their vileness will not excuse my

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